


winter prince of faerghus

by socks_oda



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, F/M, Meeting Again, Post-Time Skip, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), dimileth angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:14:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26584210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/socks_oda/pseuds/socks_oda
Summary: there he is, the winter prince of faerghus...
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd & My Unit | Byleth, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Kudos: 12





	winter prince of faerghus

_ “Wake up! Ugh, I can’t believe you’ve been asleep for SO long!” _

__ _ Where am I? Who are you? _

__ _ “You don’t remember me? My! I thought you were better than this. Quite frankly, I am offended! Wake up, Byleth. Wake up.” _

~~~

  
  


Byleth’s body aches from being asleep for so long. At least, she thought it was a while. She couldn’t tell by now.

She stretched and stood up, facing the village man in front of her, who looked at her with an extremely worried expression.

“Are you okay, Miss?” the village man asked. “It’s not everyday you see someone floatin’ downstream..”

Byleth frowned and rubbed her head, where she felt a stabbing pain. She looked down at herself, seeing bruises on her arms and legs, as well as cuts that had fresh blood on them. That must have been the work of the stream, she thought.

“Where...am I?” Byleth asked after a moment, looking around the village. It was in ruins, few people wandering around and picking up rubble or rummaging for food. The man in front of her was very skinny, possibly from a lack of food in their village. The village itself seemed vaguely familiar, like she had been here before some time ago.

“You’re outside of Garreg Mach, Miss. This village is just a ways away from the Officer’s Academy.”

“The Officer’s Academy? The Monastery?” Byleth asked, a bit shocked. She was here still? What had happened?”

“I don’t like that expression you’ve got, Miss. I wouldn’t go there...you won’t find anything. It’s in ruins! And every Imperial guard that has gone there has never come back...there’s some sort of beast in there. I beg you, don’t go there.”

Byleth frowned, now just more confused. “Ruins? What year is it?”

Now, the man frowned. “Imperial year 1185, Miss. Why do you ask?”

Five years?

Byleth picked up her sword from the ground and began to quickly walk away.

“Miss! Where are you going?!”

“I need to go find my students,” Byleth said, then began to run as fast as she could, ignoring the man’s yells behind her.

~~~

When she arrived at the monastery, she was greeted with the stench of death. It was seemingly everywhere, making her feel sick. 

The place was in ruins, just as the man had said. Dust and crumbled bits of brick scattered about. Outside, she found broken spears, and lances, and swords, all stained with blood. Likely weapons stolen from the Imperial soldiers that she had heard of.

She pushed open the rusting doors, the stench hitting her harder than before and she was greeted with the corpses of Imperial soldiers and guards scattered about. There were so many, the scene so gruesome, she wasn’t sure what to think.

Some monster must be here, then, right?

Byleth stepped over one of the corpses, looking back at it. While she was distracted, she had tripped over another corpse, landing on the ground over it. 

The mangled face was horrifying, rotting right before her eyes. It’s face was smashed in and dried blood stained the face. You couldn’t even tell who the person was, now. 

Byleth gagged and quickly stood up, wiping off her clothes and now beginning to go up the stairs. It was so silent here, the only sounds being the clicking of her boots on the stairs. It was strange being in such a place. It was so quiet now, no chattering of the students or the stray cats and dogs walking around. 

Up the stairs, there were more corpses, who had presumably gotten closer to the monster up ahead. She gripped her sword in her holster, looking around cautiously and making sure every step was careful and quiet.

She heard nothing up ahead, so Byleth assumed that would be a good sign. Still, she continued carefully until she made it up the stairs completely.

Across the room, sitting against the wall and gripping a blood-stained lance tightly, was him. The Winter Prince of Faerghus. He was hunched over, staring at the ground, but when he heard Byleth’s footsteps, he looked up at her.

He was here...he was real..

His hair had grown out a considerable amount, resting just on his shoulders. His bangs had grown out, which had been swept aside so that he could see better. His once bright blue eyes were now dull and gray with dark eyebags from a lack of sleep. He seemed lifeless; all but a blank vessel now.

“So, now you’ve come to haunt me,” he said lowly, staring right at Byleth, perhaps trying to see past her, making sure she was real.

Byleth stepped towards him slowly. “I am real, Dimitri.” She held out her hand to him, which prompted him to shy away and make a face of grimace.

“If you are real….you’re just one of those Imperial soldiers,” he growled. “Edelgard has sent you to kill me now, huh?”

“I am not affiliated with Edelgard.”

“You must be. You were gone five years.” Dimitri stood up, grabbing the lapels of the jacket that Byleth wore and pulled her to his level. “Five years! Five years I’ve been left in isolation, worrying everyday about  _ you _ . Now you’re just crawling back here, to kill me. To kill me! That’s your intention, isn’t it?”

Byleth, admittedly worried, stayed calm and put a hand on Dimitri’s chest gently, staring at his face. He looked so angry now...hateful, even.  “I’m so sorry….I don’t know what happened, myself. But, I assure you, I am not affiliated with Edelgard in any way….I am with you, always.”

“You say that, but you went and left me.”

Byleth looked down. “I know….I promise I don’t know what has happened. I’m here now, alive. You feel me, don’t you? I am real. I am real.”

Dimitri continued to stare at Byleth before he let go of her and wrapped his arms around her. Surprised by the sudden warmth, she hugged him back. The two stayed like that for a moment before Dimitri pulled away and began to walk quickly, leaving Byleth to trail after him.

The two said no more to each other, the angry expression back on Dimitri’s face as he wandered the monastery. He held his lance still, keeping a tight grip on it in case Byleth were to ever attack him.

Byleth knew that was fair. 

The monastery was so empty, more corpses littered throughout. Dimitri noticed Byleth’s face of disgust and huffed at her. “I killed them all. They are just pesky vermin.”

She said nothing, stepping over another Imperial soldier. This wasn’t the same boy she knew before. The diligent prince charming was dead. Now, he was replaced by a vengeful bloodthirsty spirit, whose only purpose was to kill until he got to his target. After he killed his target, he had no purpose.

Byleth frowned. She could hardly remember the prince charming she knew before. This didn’t feel right.

The two continued to walk in silence until they got to the cathedral. It was so much different than before, the stained glass shattered and littered about on the floor, along with parts of the wall that had crumbled. Dimitri stood in front of the rubble, staring at it with a now blank expression. 

“I’ve killed every single one that has come here trying to kill me,” he said, leaning on his lance for support. “It was a defense on my part, do you think so? Am I not just a monster?”

Byleth stepped up to stand next to him, saying nothing for a moment as she looked around, then back at Dimitri. He stared down at her, waiting expectantly for an answer. He seemed slimmer from before, since he was probably lacking food and had to get whatever he could. He wore different armor, presumably stolen from the guards or made by himself. He donned a long cloak that trailed behind him when he walked, with a layer of black and white fur to keep him warm. 

“You were protecting yourself,” she said.

Dimitri huffed. “Not one for many words, still. You’re a strange one, Professor.” 

Byleth frowned at him.

Dimitri just stared back at her. He seemed so lost now, his mind only set on one goal without a way to get there.

“How long have you been here?”

“Long enough.” Dimitri looked away. “I was to be executed, but they failed to kill me.”

“Weren’t you to go back to Faerghus?” Byleth asked slowly.

“No.” He made a face. “Cornelia has taken over. Says that I am not fit to be king, too far gone. She was to have me executed. Of course, I escaped…..at the loss of Dedue. I'm still alive, but he died for my sake. I must kill that woman and avenge my fallen friend before I am to lay at rest.”

“Dedue….” Byleth looked down. “May he lay at peace..”

Dimitri looked at Byleth. “Everyone I love has now died. Besides you. You came back.”

Byleth said nothing, staring into his eyes.

“You’re the only one I have left now.” Dimitri looked away from her, looking over the rubble inside the cathedral. His expression now was sad, allowing himself to be vulnerable in front of her. 

Byleth knew this vulnerability would not last long.

He frowned and shook his head, putting a hand to his temple. “I can’t believe you are back. You are real.”

Byleth gently grabbed Dimitri’s hands. “I am here, I am real.”

The Winter Prince said nothing and turned away.


End file.
